Old Pulteney 2007 (Duncan Taylor)

Duncan Taylor bottled this Old Pulteney single malt, a 13 year old from 2007, drawn from cask 11327706 and bottled at 54.4%. 86 bottles in all. Pulteney, founded in 1826 by James Henderson in Pulteneytown, Wick, it has been the maritime malt of Caithness ever since. The distillery closed in 1930 when Wick went dry, and reopened only in 1951.

It was worked through Pulteney's boil ball stills, fed by Loch Hempriggs, before long maturation by the sea drew in its coastal character. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, lending honey and vanilla under the salt. Mid age brings a fuller honey and a deeper maritime note. The cool, damp northern climate slows maturation, letting the spirit take wood gently over many years. A faint salinity threads the honey, the mark of long coastal maturation. Sir William Pulteney gave his name to the planned town that grew around the harbour. The spirit carries an oily weight unusual among Highland malts.

At a hearty 54.4% it carries real weight. Salt spray and beeswax sit alongside light vanilla from the refill oak. A beeswax and a saline tang give it real body. Sea salt and honey see out a long finish. This is the salty, honeyed signature of Wick.